


A Simple Melody

by orphan_account



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Multi, Music
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-07-29 12:32:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7684657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account





	1. Chapter 1

There was something comforting about the feeling of new strings against his fingers, especially combined with the small vibrations that tingled his fingertips. But, each time it was different. The sound they made, the feel they gave off, it changed with each strum of his fingers against the strings. And he liked it. Each instrument is made for its artist, and the way it's used differs from person to person. That's what makes a sound unique. And to him, that uniqueness drew him to play, drew him to his guitar whenever the rain outside stopped his travels, or the world around him was too silent. Just a simple strum across his strings could transport him into a new world, a place to explore and be free. So that's why, he had to make sure, had to be certain, that he was getting the right thing.

"Just pick some already, they're all the same thing!" The voice beside him pulled him away from his thoughts and back inside the store, where he noted the grumpy store owner eyeing him up from behind the desk. "It's getting late dude, just pick some." The voice beside him called out again as Sting sighed. Looking back at the sets of strings laid out in front of him, he couldn't help but feel dissatisfied. They looked the part, they smelled the part and almost even felt the part. But their sound? No, it wouldn't do his songs justice. Removing his hand from the neck of the guitar, he looked back over at the clerk before bending down and picking up his bag.

"You're right, it's getting pretty late, let's go." Moving towards the door, he carefully glanced back over at the clerk who was now moving to start closing shop for the night. Quickly making it out of the door, the sound of the cheerful jingle of the door bell made its way into Sting's ears, annoying the hell out of him.

"Would it kill them to change that bell sound once every while, it is a music store after all."

"Well, not everything has to cater to your weird sense of hearing yanno.." Walking down the street, Sting grumbled as Orga complained beside him, the setting sun ahead of them shining over them both.

"I knowww, but still, maybe we could write them a new jingle thing for the doorbell!" Stopping on the spot and turning around, Sting raised his fist and playfully punched Orga's arm as he sent him a charming smile, accompanied by a wink.

"I don't think our style is exactly 'Customer Friendly' to be honest, now hurry up already." Sidestepping around him, Orga continued to walk down the hill toward the park that led them home, leaving Sting alone on the side of the street. After a few seconds had passed, Sting bolted down the street to meet up with Orga, who was stood by the tall gates of the park, seemingly staring off into space.

"Sooo.. I'll see you tomorrow then?" Sting waved his hand in front of Orga's eyes in the hopes to attract his attention, with only minimal success as Orga gave off a short grunt before heading down the next road and turning a corner, leaving Sting alone for the rest of the walk. Heading through the gates, his shoulders relaxed slightly as he strolled between the rows of bushes, their berries long gone thanks to the cold winter setting in slowly. Eventually making it to the tree in the middle of the park, he was surprised to find it rather desolate, compared to the usually filled area that he was used to. But for some reason, he liked it. Walking over to it's trunk, his feet crunched over the last few leaves that were dropping from the great oak's branches, their browning colour blending in with the muddy floor below. Dropping his bag by the trunk, Sting sat down against it and let his back lean on the tree, letting his eyes close slightly as he took in a deep breath. Despite the cold breeze that kept passing by, the sounds around him seemed to pull his attention away from anything else as he let his body fully relax, his limbs going limp as his head fell back against the bark of the tree. Something about the sound of wind blowing through the leaves seemed to calm him, like he could fall asleep right then and there. But something caught his attention, an almost familiar sound coming from somewhere in the distance. He couldn't make out from where, but the sound was melodic, almost like a lullaby. He couldn't help but smile as he sat up slightly as he attempted to hum along to the tune. He recognized the instrument easily, but who was playing it, seemed to be a mystery. Swaying his head slightly from side to side in time with the music, he questioned why exactly he could hear someone performing it, but didn't want it to stop. But like most good things in life, the song came to an end, the sound fading off into the air, leaving Sting alone with his thoughts. Moving to stand up, he grabbed his bag and started walking back home, cheerfully humming the notes with each step.

"You're back later than usual.." A voice called out from what he guessed was the kitchen as he entered the front door. Dropping his bag off near the door, he made his way over and found his guess to be correct.

"I needed guitar strings, I told you mine broke." Hopping up onto one of the stools located by the counter, he watched as his roommate continued to move around the kitchen, not even turning her head to acknowledge his presence.

"Ah, I was wondering why it had been so quiet these past few days, I thought someone had blessed me or something." Finally

turning around, she placed a large tray full of assorted foods on the table, steam rising from the freshly baked goods.

"Wow Minerva, for me?" Reaching out his hand, he found the tray quickly being yanked away from his reach and moved toward the other side of the room.

"You don't resemble my cooking class in the slightest so no, if you want food, there's leftovers from the other night in the fridge with your name on it, don't eat ours." At that moment, she turned around and pointed a large cooking utensil in his face, her eyes full of anger as she spoke.

"Ye-Yes Mi Lady!" Sliding off the chair, he quickly rushed over to the fridge and grabbed a bowl marked with his name, before heading down the hallway.

"You seem awfully cheerful, I can't remember the last time I saw you like this, did something happen?" Rufus spoke out from the other end of the hallway as he spotted Sting making his way toward his room.

"Not really, I just heard a song on the way home." Smiling, he slowly moved his hand behind his back along with the container as Rufus started to eye it up.

"It is true that an upbeat melody can lift a person's spirits, but you seem... Different?"

"Oh? Well, it was just a really nice song I guess." Sending him a wide grin, he gave Rufus a half bow before moving past him and toward his room. Maybe the song wasn't just a song. Somehow, it was something more.

Shuffling into his room, he closed the door behind him before chucking both himself and his meal onto the bed. With the sun setting a lot earlier in the day during this time of year, he had half a mind to fall asleep right then and there, the sun outside barely able to illuminate his room. Looking across the room, he spotted his guitar still stood up against the side of his wardrobe, as it had been for the past couple of days.

"Don't worry, I'll get you new strings soon, good ones." Maybe talking to his guitar was a little far fetched, but Sting believed an instrument should share a bond with it's owner for them to have the perfect sound. It isn't just about knowing how to play, it's about how you play, and making sure your instrument is in good condition is a top priority. Leaning back against the wall, he opened up his tub of food and began picking out pieces with his fingers, licking the thick sauce off his fingers as he thanked whatever angel had blessed him to let him share a room with such an amazing cook. "Bless you Minerva!" He felt like shouting with each mouthful.

"You're welcome." Her voice called back from within the hallway, making Sting mentally curse himself for speaking aloud. Finally finished with his delectable meal, he placed the empty tub over on his chest of drawers before laying his head down on his pillow. Closing his eyes, the familiar memory of the nearby parked filled his mind, the sound of the breeze flowing between the leaves putting him at ease. But then he heard it again. That same set of notes playing in his mind. He still couldn't figure out the song, but the notes seemed to slot together to form a story in his head. Sitting back up, he moved over to his desk and began scribbling down the notes as he continued to hum the song outloud to himself, so lost in his mind, he didn't even notice the light of the room disappear along with the sun.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, if you can't play, why did you ask me to come to practice? And why are we in here anyway?" Orga reluctantly stood in the doorway as he watched Sting frantically move around the empty classroom, bumping into several desks and chairs as he searched around the area for what he needed.

"Because we have to perform this song." Finally finding the sheet of paper, he moved over to the doorway and handed it over to Orga, who eyed both Sting and the sheet suspiciously before speaking.

"This seems like it's for something slow and melodic, like a piano." Crossing his arms, he watched Sting go back over to the other side of the room to collect his bag.

"We can make it work somehow." Moving toward the door, he tapped Orga on the shoulder, gesturing for him to follow along as they started walking down the hallway.

"With a guitar and drums? Good luck. Besides, you refuse to play the school's guitar and the drums are in the music room."

"Well, whenever we can get time, we can try at least. We have to play it Orga." Stopping just in front of him, Sting brought his hands up onto Orga's broad shoulders and shook him slightly.

"... You seem really sure about this, but I'm going home, you coming?" Shrugging off Sting's hands, Ora continued to head for the campus exit as Sting started to walk behind him. And then he heard it. The faint sound of a piano in the distance. And those notes, they were so familiar.

"I'll catch up to you!" Bolting off in the opposite direction, Orga watched as Sting gave him a slight wave before disappearing around a corner at the end of the hallway. He had to find it, had to find them. With the sound becoming louder with each step he took, Sting eventually realised he was heading the way of the music room. Finally outside the room, he managed to catch his breath slightly before peering inside, doing his best to stay quiet as so to go unnoticed. But once he saw the pianist, he couldn't help the mumble of sounds that came out of his mouth. A person he had never seen before, with their fingers gliding across the keys of the piano as they silently hummed in unison. Sting couldn't help but watch as he continued to play so beautifully, like his life depended on that one song. It wasn't just the music that shook him, because once he was finally spotted, his heart seemed to melt in his chest.

"Play it again."


	2. Chapter 2

"Soooooo.." He didn't even have to turn around to know who had walked into his room - And the silence that followed seemed to answer any questions he had.

"I know. But I have to wear it." Turning around, he looked at Yukino as she attempted to keep a straight face, her hands covering her mouth to stop her laughter escaping. He knew he looked stupid dressed up so formally for a building tour, but it was the only thing remotely fancy enough to wear. Why couldn't he just figure his own way around the college, it's not exactly like he hadn't been there before.

"You look… Great?" Slowly letting her hands fall back by her side, Yukino tilted her head sideways as she walked towards him, spinning her finger in a circle and getting him to turn around.

"You don't have to lie, it doesn't look good on me at all." Relaxing his shoulders Rogue stared at himself in the mirror, watching as Yukino moved her hands over his body, adjusting the overly baggy suit that was barely staying on his body - Thank lord he had a belt.

"Well, it could be worse, just maybe lose the tie? You're going to be a student after all, not a teacher." Wiping away a few specks of dust from his shoulders, she stood back and watched him remove what seemed to be his only tie, considering the strange moon patterning and it's several rips. Despite the condition of the suit, she did have to admit to herself that it was certainly a change to the typical clothes he wore around their apartment. Smiling, she let him continue to check himself over in the mirror in silence, heading over to the door when he finally seemed finished. "You look great, don't worry." Sending him a sincere smile on her way out of his room, Yukino couldn't help but feel some sense of pride. Maybe it was because Rogue was finally getting back into a daily life routine, and she could finally see life returning to his face after the past year of his life being nothing but easy.

Sitting down on the edge of his bed, Rogue let his head fall into his hands, his fingers running through his hair as he tried to calm his breathing.

"I'm really doing it." He managed to speak out quietly to himself as he stared down at the floor, his shoes reflecting back a distorted and blurred view of his face. He looked dreadful. His skin was usually quite pale anyway, but it almost looked blue and sickly in the reflection. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself up from the bed and onto his feet, grabbing his satchel before heading to the door. Moving the strap over his shoulder as he walked through the hallway, he felt his fingers grip tightly onto the fabric as he made it to the door.

"Have fun!" Yukino's voice called out from within the kitchen as he opened the front door, but he made no effort to respond as he exited their apartment, the cold air of the hallway hitting him once he shut the door behind him.

Was it really alright just to go back to normal?

* * *

 

"And this will be your cafeteria for lunch time, you're free to bring your own food or buy something from the counter over there." Rogue watched an arm stretch out before him, fingers pointing around the room as his tour guide continued to mumble on. He did appreciate the help he was being given, but he knew where pretty much everything was already, considering the amount of times he had dropped by to visit Yukino at lunch, or drop off something she left back at the apartment. "Well, I've pretty much shown you the basics around here, is there anywhere else you'd like to visit before we finish?" Turning his head, he looked up into the eyes of his rather stern looking guide. Both of them could tell this was a waste of their time, yet one place did come to mind.

"I've heard you have a music facility here, one with instruments?" His hand gripped tightly onto the strap of his satchel, his insides churning as he followed his guide out of the cafeteria and back into the hallway. Walking in silence, Rogue's eyes wandered around the area, the walls plastered with health posters and tidbits of information that wouldn't be of use to most people. Eventually, they stopped at the end of the hall, the entrance to the room looking unusable and dangerous.

"I know what you're thinking, but it works." Stepping back as the door opened, Rogue worried that if the state of the door was this bad, the inside must be even worse. But he was wrong. The room was fairly large, stacks of staging pushed up against the wall alongside several large storage boxes and cupboards. Many instruments were dotted around the room, alongside posters and music books stacked up in piles. But none of it compared to what sat beside the window. Basking in the few rays of sunlight that were seeping through the blinds, was a black piano, beautifully kept and clean.

"Are students allowed to use these instruments at all?" Stepping further into the room, Rogue tried to take his time looking around, but quickly found himself letting his fingers slide softly over the keys of the piano.

"No." His guide snapped from the other side of the room, causing Rogue to remove his hands from the piano and stand back awkwardly. "It was a joke. Why would we have a music room full of instruments if you couldn't play them.." What felt like a joke followed by playful laughter, turned into complete silence as they both looked at each other. "Play whatever you want, just don't break it." Waving off his hand, his guide left his set of keys on the table before leaving the room, clearly fed up of being there. Still slightly confused about what just happened, Rogue dropped his satchel on the floor and searched through it carefully, pulling out several sheets of paper and placing them onto the music stand. As he went to sit down however, the notes seemed blurred and unable to be read, the light from the window clearly not reaching the paper. Standing up, Rogue reached over to the blinds and pulled them to the side, letting a flood of light illuminate the room. The sun was setting just behind a few trees to the west, the sky a swirl of reds and faint purple. Opening the window, a slight breeze made its way into the room, sending a welcome chill down Rogue's spine. Taking his place back at the piano, his fingers lightly graced the keys, gently pressing down and getting a well tuned response. Taking a deep breath, he felt his hands move gracefully over the keys, the piano replying to his movement accordingly. The melody of the song carried itself throughout the room and out of the window, it's swaying tempo never slowing as Rogue played.

Eventually, the notes on the pages faded out alongside the music, leaving the room to fall back into silence again. Looking down, Rogue saw that his hands were shaking slightly, his fingers almost having a mind of their own. In an attempt to calm himself, he stood up and stuck his head out of the window, letting the evenings breeze flow through his hair and over his face. Looking around, he spotted a singular tree alone in what appeared to be a park. He thought he knew the area pretty well, yet had never seen it before. Deciding it wasn't important, he closed the window and packed up his sheet music before locking the door. Meeting up with the guide back at the college doors, he quickly handed him the keys and headed back to his apartment, falling back onto his bed and almost deflating like a balloon when he got inside.

"How was it?" Yukino stood in the doorway and watched Rogue kick his shoes off of his feet, a slight moan of agreement being heard as he buried his head further into the sheets. "Well, come get some food and tell me about it, then we can talk about tomorrow." Heading back to the kitchen, Yukino was glad to hear what sounded like Rogue shuffling around in his room for a while, before he joined her in the kitchen. When he made it inside, she handed him a small slip of paper and went back to drinking her tea, looking back just in time to see a small smile form on his face.

_Congratulations on making it in! Good luck on your first day tomorrow!_

* * *

 

Thankfully, most of the day had passed by without any major problems, aside from the fact that Rogue bumped into his English Lit teacher and mistaken him for another student. After clarifying that he was in fact not just some random student, he spent the entirety of the lesson keeping his head down between the pages of his book, one he was expected to finish over the weekend when other students had had at least 3 weeks to finish what felt like a huge novel in his hands. He was glad that Yukino also had the same free lunch period as him, or he would've been left to eat lunch alone. Spotting her at a table, he made his way over to her and slumped down in a chair, burying his head under his arms as he let out a long overdue sigh.

"Should I ask?" Putting down her sandwich, Yukino tilted her head in an attempt to get a better look at Rogue, but to no avail. After a few seconds of silence, he lifted his head slightly and took a long gaze at her, her cheerful smile helping him remember he wasn't alone.

"I thought he was my classmate… He was my damn teacher." Letting his head fall back onto the table with a bang, he waited until the sound of Yukino's laughter died down before letting out another groan of pain. It was bad enough that he hadn't slept half the night, but now all the caffeine from his coffee this morning had seemingly left his body, taking any energy he had left with it.

"At least you didn't call him mom, one guy in my class did that and it was pretty bad, so lighten up." Patting her hand against his back, Rogue reluctantly sat up and fished out a sandwich from his satchel, internally thanking Yukino for agreeing to make him lunch every other day. Flicking a piece of lettuce that was hanging out from the side, he took a small bite whilst looking around the room at the mass of people all trying to get something to eat. Despite knowing not to believe those shoddy chick flicks and their made up info about college life, he could see where they got their inspiration from. Scattered around various tables were large groups of people, each table rowdier than the next. On one, sat a bunch of people attempting to read quietly as they multitasked flicking the page alongside eating. Off in the distance, were several guys and girls sporting the college mascot, a small fairy surrounded by multicoloured logos and names. Apparently the Fairy design was something the old founders came up with, and the idea had stuck ever since. And finally, at the back was just a bunch of people who either looked slightly dead, or on the verge of a mental breakdown as they vigorously ate their food, stacked up piles of books and utensils almost being mistaken for food more than once. "It's lively isn't it."

Turning his head back around toward the table, he watched as Yukino propped herself up with her elbows, her hands supporting her chin as she watched Rogue continue to pick at his food.

"They seem kinda crazy at first, but they're all- Mostly good people." Only giving her a small nod in response, he continued to try and swallow the large chunk of his sandwich he had bitten off without thinking. "You'll make friends easily, I bet you already have!" Moving one of her hands from under her chin, she gave him a playful slap on the arm and rose from her seat, beginning to pack away her things as Rogue watched on from his seat, his mouth still full of food. "Well, I'll see you later. Oh! I have something on after classes so I'll be back late, have fun!" Waving her hand behind her as she left, Rogue waited until she was out of sight before falling back onto the table, his hair falling over his face as his eyes drooped shut. He could hear people sitting down near him, but didn't dare to lift his head, hoping they'd all leave before he had to get to his next class. As far as first days go, this one wasn't exactly fairing too well.

* * *

 

"Remember to study the book I just gave you, it'll be very helpful for the next upcoming exams so please don't throw it into the bin." As he headed toward the door, Rogue could've sworn that his lecturer had been giving the guys in front of him some sort of glare, as if they had actually thrown away useful information in the past. Not really caring, his hand delved into his pocket and fished out his earbuds, ready to walk home to the sound of his music, when a voice called out for him.

"Mr Cheney! May I have a word quickly?" Turning his head, he saw his teacher's hand raised upward into the air, a polite smile forming on his face when their eyes met. Walking over toward the table, he watched as his teacher began to reorganise his desk, only stopping once the few remaining students left inside the room had gone. "I'm sorry to bother you like this, but I heard from some staff in the break room that you were playing something here on our piano yesterday, and since I wasn't around for your entrance exam, I was wondering if I could hear you play?" Looking up, his eyes met with Rogue's as he stumbled on his words.

"R-Right now?" "If you have the time. Of course, it'd probably be beneficial for us both to get this done as soon as possible." Grabbing a huge pile of texts between his hands, his lecturer barely managed to point his hand toward the door, escorting Rogue out into the hallway and toward the music room. Gripping onto his satchels strap, he cautiously followed on behind as they walked through the halls, more full of life than they had been yesterday. Ignoring the many conversations that he passed by, eventually they were stood outside the music room, his teacher fumbling around for the keys as he struggled to balance all his papers. Finally, the key turned in the lock and the pair walked inside, his teacher sighing as he dropped his things onto the desk. "Feel free to get set up, I need to get some more things real quick!" Hurriedly exiting the room, Rogue tried to speak out in protest, but his words fell on deaf ears. Sighing, he moved over toward the piano and grabbed his sheet music he had forgotten to unpack upon arriving home. Sliding the sheet music into the holder, he took a deep breath before letting his fingers glide over the keys once again, a familiar scene; yet with a different feeling altogether. Seconds turned into minutes as he came to the end of his song, letting his fingers rest gently atop the keys as he let himself regain a steady breathing rhythm. Letting his body relax slightly, he realised he was still alone in the room, no sign of his new teacher, or so he thought.

"Play it again." A random voice called out from the doorway, a tall silhouette looking back at Rogue.


	3. Chapter 3

Silence filled the air as Rogue continued to try and make out who exactly he was talking to, the dark silhouette remaining silent.

"Excuse me?…" Moving to stand up, Rogue was stopped in his tracks when the other person moved forward at a rapid pace, slamming their hands onto the top of the piano as he brought his face within inches of Rogue's.

"You're the one who was playing that song right? And yesterday too!?" The man continued to shout as his hot breath warmed Rogue's cheeks, his eyes darting around his face and taking in all his features. He had deep sea coloured eyes, matched with sun kissed hair that looked out of control; spikes of which stood straight toward the sky.

"Yesterday…" Pulling his face away slightly, Rogue remembered the events of yesterday and being sat at the piano, but he was certain the campus had been empty at that point, unless.. "Have you been spying on me?" Rising from the stool, Rogue managed to gain a slight height advantage over the other, his eyes trailing downward to the man's rather eccentric clothes.

"N-No! I heard you from the park and then I heard you today and now here I am! So will you play!?" Grabbing Rogue's hands, the man held them in his own as he rose them up to eye level, a pleading look in his eyes as he continued to stare deep into Rogue's eyes.

"Who even are you?" Pulling his hands back, a slightly confused look splashed across Rogue's face as he struggled to take in the situation. Yukino had told him that some of the students here were a little childlike, but she said nothing about any of them being crazy.

"Ah!" Jumping backward, the man bowed slightly as he stretched his hand out towards Rogue. "I'm Sting! Sting-"

"Eucliffe." A familiar voice interjected on their conversation, startling Sting and causing him to jump. Clutching his heart, he turned on the spot and turned his attention toward the doorway along with Rogue. "You shouldn't be here, Mr Cheney and I are having a private meeting." Stretching his hand out into the hallway, the teacher waited for Sting to hurriedly exit the room, shutting the door on him before he could say another word. Still confused about the events that had just taken place, Rogue slowly lowered himself back onto the stool, trying to process the last few minutes of his life. "So sorry about the delay, shall we begin?"

"Who was that?" Beginning to readjust his sheet music, Rogue jolted at the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. Turning back toward the desk, he saw his teacher looming over a large pile of paperwork, a scornful expression on his face.

"Trouble."

* * *

"I told you I'll be back later… Yeah alright I'll do it when I get back!" Locking his phone screen and shoving the device deep into his pocket, Sting sighed heavily as he leaned against the brick wall behind him, the sun already disappearing from the sky. He wasn't too sure as to how long he'd been waiting outside the campus doors, but it had been far too long; so long that he almost forgot why he was there. But then he saw the reason why he was still outside walking towards him. "Hey there!" Waving his hand at the guy, Sting noticed him reluctantly pull out one of his earbuds.

Rogue stopped in front of Sting and stared at him. "Can I help you?"

"Oh uh, it's just that I never got to finish what I was saying, can we walk and talk?" Grinning in a childlike manner, Sting calmed down slightly when the other male gestured his hand to start the walk home. "So, you're new here right… Mr Chimney?"

"Cheney. Rogue... And yeah, I started today." Holding out his hand, Rogue waited for Sting to actually notice, but instead, he just slipped it back into his pocket, pretending he had never tried to be courteous. "And you're Sting right?"

"Yep!" Sticking his thumb out and pointing at himself, his childlike side appeared again as he chuckled. "I'm taking the same class as you, just a different one I guess, but we both have the same lecturer, he seems to like you at least." Lowering his head slightly, Sting's hands fell back into his jean pockets as the continued to walk, taking a left turn and beginning to walk down a long stretch of road.

"Maybe if you didn't interrupt private sessions like today, he might not call you troublesome."

"He did? That man really likes to hold a grudge I guess, I haven't even done anything bad since… Monday." Rogue couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his mouth as he wondered what on earth Sting had done to earn the right to be called trouble. "You laugh at me now, but I bet you've done worse." Tilting his head downwards, Sting tried to get a good look at Rogue's face, but was only met with the sight of a large amount of black hair.

"Maybe when I was younger, but I'm not a child anymore."

"So you have done worse?" Poking his finger into Rogue's arm, Sting chuckled as his whole body moved to the side, almost causing him to trip over his own feet.

"Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Steadying himself, Rogue stopped in his tracks as they came to the end of the road, turning to face Sting as he hesitantly waited for an answer.

"Uhh, well, I just wanted to hear you play that song again, I'm not sure why, but it feels familiar." Rubbing the back of his neck, Sting let out a forced chuckle and started to consider if there was anything else he really wanted.

"Well, I guess you heard me play again earlier, so if that's all, I'm gonna carry on walking home." Taking his hand out of his pocket, his thumb pointed left as his other hand grabbed his earbud and went to put it back into his ear, only to feel a strong tug on his arm.

"Once more!" Rogue could've sworn that he could see Sting's eyes watering slightly as his grip on Rogue's arm tightened. Rogue really just wanted to go home, but knew that wasn't going to happen so easily.

"I can't really play right now, but some other time?" Clearly, his words had some effect, Sting's grip on his arm becoming so hard he was sure it'd leave a bruise. For a moment, he wasn't sure if Sting was about to drag him back to campus grounds, or kill him right then and there. But surprisingly, he did neither.

"It's a promise?" Rogue wasn't sure, but talking to Sting almost felt like talking to an excitable child, with his reactions aloof and childlike whenever he said something. He wasn't sure why, but he felt more at ease talking to Sting than he did with most people, even if he was slightly annoying.

"Sure, see you soon." Shaking his arm just enough to loosen Sting's grip, he turned left and started walking up the street, laughing to himself as Sting stumbled over his words just behind him.

"Ye-Yeah sure, See you tomorrow! Wait… Tomorrow is Saturday isn't it…" Slipping in his other earbud, Rogue heard a strange yelling sound behind him before he switched on his music, sighing as he continued the walk home alone, timing his steps so they were in sync with his music.

* * *

"Welcome back Mr College man!" Yukino's voice called out from somewhere in the apartment when Rogue entered the door, not ever making it to his room before dumping all his stuff on the ground as he pushed off his shoes. "You're back later than I am." Falling back onto the couch, Rogue caught a glimpse of Yukino as she moved into the room, adorned in fluffy pjs and slippers, her feet gliding across the floor as she made her way to the couch.

"I got held up by trouble." Letting his body relax, he fell back into the couch, letting himself practically be absorbed in all of Yukino's cushions. Letting his head hang over the edge, Yukino glided into view, wearing a curious look on her face.

"Trouble? You don't look hurt.. If you are I can get-"

"It wasn't that kind of trouble, relax." Sighing, his eyes drooped shut as he let his legs spread out in front of him, something he wasn't used to doing in front of other people, especially Yukino. "It was a blonde hair and blue eyes kind of trouble."

"You mean… Sting?" Upon hearing her speak his name, his eyes opened back up, his arm starting to sting slightly as if it was reacting to his name.

"You know him?"

"Sorta," Sliding around the side of the sofa, Yukino tapped Rogue's legs, causing him to move to give her enough room to sit down. "He's the roommate of one of my classmates, he usually tells us stories about how he messes up a lot." Leaning his head back off the edge of the couch alongside Yukino, the pair stared up at the ceiling in silence, Rogue wondering exactly who this 'Sting' guy was, and if he'd made a mistake promising to play him the song again. "Why, how do you know him?" Nudging Rogue in the side with her elbow, she heard a faint groan come from his lips, followed by a noise of him struggling to sit up properly.

"He wants to hear me play the piano for some reason, and I said yes so I could get home." Grabbing onto his arm, he noted that the skin of his forearm had pinkened slightly thanks to Mr Death Grip.

"Oooo how romantic~" Yukino cooed in a mocking voice as she followed suite and sat back up herself, rubbing her neck in relief despite only leaning over the edge of the couch for a short period of time.

"I think the last thing my songs do is woo people, especially not the one he heard." Pushing his hands into the couch, he rose to his feet and trudged back over toward the door, picking up his back before looking at Yukino, a smirk still displayed on her face.

"Never speak too soon, that song seems to have made you a new friend at least." Winking at Rogue, he pondered her notion for a while, before shrugging it off and heading to his room. Dropping his satchel by his deck and closing the door, he fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, his body drained of energy to even move. Moving his arms under his head as a makeshift pillow, Rogue closed his eyes as he remembered Yukino's words.

Is this Sting guy my friend?…

* * *

"No… Look just listen to me for a minute Orga! No, this plan doesn't involve setting things on fire, not yet anyway." Spinning around in his desk chair, Sting waited for the other end of the line to go quiet, hearing a deep sigh before being told to carry on. "I'm telling you man, we can perform the song I gave you, we just need someone to play with us."

"And do you know anyone crazy enough to join our band?"

"Maybe, but it'll take some time, so we won't be performing it on stage next weekend, that's for sure."

"Well, in order for you to play, you still need to get yourself some strings, whether they're 'right for your fingers' or not."

"Yeah yeah," Flapping his hands as if his movements could be seen, Sting rose from the chair and began pacing around his room, his bare feet sinking into the blue carpet below his feet. "I'll get some this weekend when I'm not busy." Preemptively hanging up the call without waiting for a response, he shoved his phone deep into his jean pocket, a devilish smirk forming on his face as started to plan out his strategy.

"Soon, our duo, will become a trio."


	4. Chapter 4

With the days becoming shorter and shorter, it was no wonder Rogue found himself waking back up to go to college, after what seemed like only five minutes of sleep. Removing his hand from the warm shell of his covers, he struggled to press the snooze button on his phone, his eyes refusing to cooperate and open fully. Eventually, his finger met with the button, and his head fell back onto the pillow, a small groan escaping his lips as his body began to wake up. Sitting up, he pulled his curtains open in an attempt to lighten the room, but the sky outside was still a dark mixture of dark blues and purples, a few scarce stars still visible in the sky. Moving to get out of the bed, he grabbed a fresh towel from his cupboard and headed to the shower, letting the water flow over his body as his hair began to stick to his face. He hadn't even been attending college for a full week, yet he felt strangely weak, like he could fall back into bed and sleep for an eternity. Sighing, he shut off the water and stood motionless in the shower, letting stray droplets of water trickle over his skin. He could already tell today was going to be too long.

* * *

"We will continue to examine Siro's relations with the King's son in chapter 3 tomorrow, please bring your notes ready for then." What sounded like a bell of calamity rang in his ears, drowning out the voice of his lecturer as he continued to speak. Rogue barely had the energy to lift himself from his chair, let alone go to lunch. Reluctantly, he shoved his notes into his satchel and slowly made his way through the crowds of people idly standing around in the hallways.

_Do they really not have anything better to be doing with their time?_

As he made his way into the cafeteria, he found an empty table toward the back and felt himself physically deflate as he made it into the chair, a low sounding groan escaping his lips as his forehead met with the cold surface of the table. Thankfully, it was the lunch period of the day, so the room was pretty quiet, despite most of the tables being occupied. If only it had stayed that way.

"So anyway, I talked to Natsu and things are pretty much sorted, I'll find out tomorrow when we're on." A familiar voice disturbed the silence, followed by a chorus of boos and yells towards the voice. Turning his head to the side, Rogue could barely make out a head of bright blonde hair making it's way through the crowd, and towards where he was sat no less. Inside his head, Rogue prayed that Sting would keep on walking, too distracted by everyone else to even notice his presence. But of course, it didn't work.

"Rogue?" Sting's voice was surprisingly softer and almost sounded like a whisper, yet his words were perfectly audible to Rogue, the other's lips practically pressed up against his ear. Turning his head toward Sting, he realised their faces were far closer than he first imagined, bright blue eyes glimmering back at him. Sitting up, Rogue plastered on a smile and let out a small mumble of noise as to identify himself. "Fancy seeing you here!" Slapping his hand against Rogue's back, Sting laughed as Rogue's body jerked forward suddenly in reaction to the spontaneous 'attack'.

"Yeah.. Imagine the chances…"

Yeah, imagine the chances of running into another student on campus grounds, in the cafeteria at lunch.

"Well, you eating or sleeping? Or sleating?"

"Sleating?" Raising his head, Rogue finally recovered the energy he didn't even realise he'd lost, his head finally clearing as he continued to watch Sting, his eyes trailing down to the man's bag where he seemed to be rummaging around for something.

"Yeah, sleeping and eating all at once, we had bets on whether he was going to choke or not." Seemingly finding what he was looking for, a sound of relief escaped Sting's lips as he pulled out a large tub of assorted foods from within his back. Despite still being half asleep, Rogue could swear he saw literal stars in Sting's eyes as he opened up the container, a strong smell of chicken wafting through the air.

"Was he okay?"

"Not shuw," Sting managed to form at least one word as he shoved a forkful of food into his mouth, his body almost melting as he savoured the food's taste. "Hawent sween him swince then." Swallowing, he casually smiled over at Rogue as if what he had just said sounded anything like English, or even like a good situation. "Want some?"

Peering into the tub of food, Rogue saw it was filled with neatly cut slices of chicken, seemingly covered in some hot looking spices with it's slightly orange colour. Alongside it, was a bed of salad, lettuce, small tomatoes, shredded carrot and a few small slices of cucumber. Rogue knew he had money for his own food, but turning his head back toward the queue, he didn't exactly fancy his chances between all the giant football players and rowdy people who found it fun to shove people around. Begrudgingly, he used his fingers to pick up a slice of the cucumber and placed it inside his mouth, it's crunchy yet soft textures melting across his tongue.

"Sorry, that was pretty rude huh." Rubbing the back of his neck, he feigned a laugh as he continued to watch Sting eat his lunch, seemingly forgetting to even chew half the time as he finished up.

"I offered man, not rude at all!" Slapping his hand on Rogue's shoulder, what now seemed like a trademark smile spread across his face, little wrinkles forming on the bridge of his nose. "Besides, M'Lady makes too much food anyway, nice to share once in awhile, the Orgmeister doesn't seem to like it."

"Org- Who?"

"OrgA." A blunt voice spoke from behind Rogue, slightly startling him as warm air flowed through his hair. Turning around, he found his head tilting up slowly to even meet with the man's eyes, his stature that of one of the jocks he had been avoiding. "Is this guy bothering you?"

"No man, I'm probably the one bothering him." Sting chuckled as his hand gestured down toward the seat beside him, but Orga continued to almost loom over Rogue, his hand coming down on Rogue's shoulder and making Sting's seem like a babies hand in comparison.

"I know, that's why I was asking this guy if you're bothering him." Sting's childish grin soon drooped as he looked almost disgusted. From over his shoulder, Rogue could hear Orga laughing, his grip on Rogue's shoulder becoming tighter as the man shook him slightly.

"He's not really, although I can see why you'd think he was." Attempting to join in with the laughter, Rogue found it a lot easier once he looked back at Sting, his face all crumpled as he began to shout profanities at them both, his hands waving about madly in the air as they continued to mock him. Eventually, their laughter died down, especially once they realised they had attracted the attention of pretty much the whole cafeteria - including that of the serving staff.

"Anyway, I gotta go meet up with someone, coming Sting?" Orga gestured over toward the door with a nod of his head, followed by a raise of his eyebrows.

"Yeah, sure." Quickly shoving his things into his bag, Sting swung his legs out from under the table and stood up, slinging the strap over his shoulder and waving over his shoulder as he moved toward the door. "Oh!" Turning his head back, Sting stared at Rogue for a few seconds before speaking again. "I actually had something to ask you, but I can't remember anymore, if I remember I'll find you!" Waving his hand again, Rogue gingerly waved his hand back, despite knowing that Sting couldn't see the gesture and he was only making himself look weird. Signing, he rose from the table and grabbed his own bag, deciding to take a walk to clear his head before his next class. Sting didn't exactly seem like the normal friend he was used to - certainly nothing like Yukino. But considering this was his 'Fresh Start', it might actually be good to change up his life a bit, maybe step out of his comfort zone a bit.

Well, he didn't even really have a comfort zone per se, aside from being seated at the piano. Maybe, once he actually got settled in with college life and the madness it brought with it, he would change things up a little. Taking a deep breath, he headed toward the cafeteria doors and down the hallway, a slight spring in every step. When his phone buzzed slightly against his leg, he delved into his pocket and checked his notifications. Considering he only actually had 3 contacts, it wasn't a surprise to see the text was from Yukino.

Don't forget, rent's due a little earlier this month, since the landlord is going away for a while! - Yukino.

Typing back a response, he recalled his boss asking if he wanted to work more hours at the shop, and now it seemed like he would need them. Once his message was sent, he got about to asking his boss for more work, surprisingly getting a fast reply about an extra shift going tonight. Quickly accepting, he continued to walk around the campus grounds, the area filled with other students. With the autumn leaves collecting together in small piles at the side of the pathway, his feet looked different as they pushed their way through bright oranges and burning reds.

Yeah, he needed change.

* * *

"I tooooold you already, I'm getting them soon!" Sting whined into the phone as he shuffled his guitar bag over his back. He was thankful the walk from his place to the nearest music store wasn't that far, and considering he'd been spending a few hours more at the gym recently alongside Orga, the guitar didn't seem all that heavy - it was just the awkward way it clunked against his back with every step he took. "Soon is soon okay! Chill out dude." Sting knew that although what Orga was saying was true, he couldn't help but put his phone away from his ear once he heard a loud yelling coming from the other end of the line. He couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but considering the yelling was followed by a loud crashing sound, he knew it was anything but good. "I'm getting them now, probably, just wait, now have funnn~" letting his word draw out, he chuckled as he hung up the call whilst carnage could still be heard from the other end. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he looked up and down the long stretch of road before crossing over to the other side, making his way over to the store's entrance, the all too familiar jingle ringing over his head as he pushed the door open.

Walking inside, he noted the vacancy of the place, only the one man sitting behind the counter, or more precisely, sleeping atop the desk. The man's untamed head of hair was spread out over the wood, his face presumably lost in there somewhere. After a slight bit of stirring, he rose from his place and met Sting's eyes dead on, both of them just staring at each other for a while.

"Heyyyyy, I'm here to look for -"

"You know where they are, Mr 'They have to feel right against my fingers.'" Extending his arm and pointing in the general vicinity of the back area of the shop, Sting silently nodded before heading over, hearing a loud thud behind him as he walked. Dropping his guitar bag onto the floor, he unzipped it before taking out the guitar and holding it in his hands, letting his thumb run over the neck as he spoke.

"Don't worry, we're not leaving without new strings this time." Smiling down at the instrument, he carefully leaned it up against one of the shelves, before letting his hands run over the other guitars on show, each one sporting different strings and other items. For him, it was almost like some sort of haven, the soft vibrations tingling through his fingers as he strummed against each string, them giving off different sounds each time. Being absorbed in his own little world, he failed to notice the voice speaking back towards the front of the store, followed by footsteps approaching him.

"Hello Sir, is there anything I can oh-" Stopping mid sentence, Rogue's eyes caught with Sting's as he turned around, taking him for surprise. "It's you."

"Are you that surprised to see me? I mean I know it seems suspicious and all but trust me, I'm just here to shop like you." Resorting to chuckling lightly to try and break the awkward air between them, Sting took in Rogue's change of outfit, accompanied by a tag across his chest.

"No, I just can't believe you're Mr 'They have to feel righ-"

"OK OK I GET IT!" Lunging forward, Sting placed his hand across Rogue's mouth in an attempt to silence him, only to have Rogue pull away from his touch and continue talking.

"And I'm not here to shop exactly, but I'm supposed to be helping you right now so uh, I guess you're here for strings?" Leaning to the side slightly, Rogue looked over at the random guitar leaning against the shelf. If it hadn't been covered in random stickers and scratches, he would've thought it was one belonging to the store, but once Sting picked it up, he knew the crazy looking stickers plastered all over it could only be down to him.

"Uh yeah, I guess I'm being a bit picky." Looking down at the instrument for a second, he was surprised to see Rogue's hand come into view, his fingers gliding over the guitars neck and down toward the saddle. For some reason, Sting felt sort of weird: Not that he minded people really touching his guitar, but Rogue seemed to handle it differently, not snatching it from him like most people usually tried to do.

"Well, I might have something, wait here." Holding up his finger as a signal to stay put, Rogue turned on his heels and disappeared into the other aisle, the faint sound of a door opening and closing from nearby. After a short while, Rogue returned with a small bag of strings, wrapped in gold packaging alongside a golden pick. Sting was pretty sure he'd never seen that sort of packing in the shop before, so was curious as to what they would be like. Taking the bag, he gently pulled it open and got to fixing them in place - a skill he had learned to do himself a while back after he found out the price of getting them replaced professionally. Once a few were in place, he let his thumb ride over them gently, the small vibrations they gave off sending a slight shiver through his body. No wonder they had such amazing packaging, they were

"Perfect."

"Even for Mr 'They have to-"

"Are you really gonna keep calling me that stupid name? Who even came up with that!?" Taking the forced coughing sound Rogue made after his question, he seemed to have his answer. "But seriously, I can't wait to play your song on these!"

"M-My song?"

"Oh!" Releasing his grasp on the lower half of his guitar, Sting slapped himself on the back of his head, making Rogue take a worried step back. "I remember what I was gonna say now! I want to play your song!"


	5. Chapter 5

"You want to what?" Rogue was pretty sure that along with everything else that had happened today, this was either some sort of elaborate joke, or some really strange dream.

"The one you played last week, on the piano?" Reaching forward, Sting grabbed Rogue's hand in his own, excitedly raising it up in the air as Rogue stood motionless, his eyes looking down at his hand for a second before meeting with Sting's gaze once again.

"You mean the song I wrote… For me… And the Piano…"

"Yeah! I have some of the notes worked out already since I've heard it twice, but I need the rest." Sting's smile changed into a more serious look, the tone of his voice becoming less cheerful and happy as he stared at Rogue.

"You shouldn't have even heard it in the first place, let alone be playing it." Pulling his hand back from Sting's grasp, he moved back a step or two, suspiciously eyeing up the other man as he moved forward to close the gap between them once again.

"Come on man! It's a great song, the world deserves to hear such a masterpiece."

"No."

"Come onnn, I-"

"I said no! What don't you understa-" Rogue's words were cut off once he felt hands fall into his shoulders, Sting's eyes meeting with his.

"Look man I really think th-"

"NO." Rogue's voice was gravely as he shouted, the faint music in the front of the room coming to a pause. Silence fell between them as Rogue tried to regain a steady breathing pattern, eventually dropping his head to the floor as he felt Sting's hands slip off of his body. "Just… Buy your strings, I'm busy…" Keeping his eyes to the floor, Rogue turned on the spot and slowly walked away, disappearing from Sting's sight and through a set of doors.

Still trying to comprehend what had just happened, Sting's arms fell down to his side (sides) as he continued to stand there in silence, eyes staring straight forward, though not really focused on anything. Eventually, he grabbed his guitar along with the new strings and brought it up to the desk, letting the man check over his purchase in silence. Once he'd (he was) done handing over his money, Sting slipped his guitar back into it's bag and slung the strap over his shoulder, his voice barely audible as he thanked the man before leaving, the sound of the bell signalling Rogue.

"So," The man behind the desk started to speak as Rogue came back into view, the skin under his eyes slightly red, a few stray hairs sticking to his face. "Calmed down now?"

"Yeah.." Rogue's voice was hoarse and almost came out as a whisper, barely making it to the ears of his boss. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't shout like that in the store."

"Not really, but if he was being an ass, don't worry about it." Standing up from his chair, the man walked over toward Rogue, placing his hand down on Rogue's shoulder. "But, I haven't heard you shout since-"

"I know." Politely moving himself away from the man's touch, Rogue's eyes fell to the floor; the last thing he needed was sympathy from his boss. It had been a year since he raised his voice like that, felt so strongly about something, but he knew he couldn't avoid it forever. Looking back up, he saw his boss's expression had turned into one of concern, a look he rarely saw, and Rogue liked it that way. "I just, it's fine Gajeel, thanks." Grabbing the nearest item from the table, he turned on his feet and started to walk back toward the back room, hoping to hide himself away for a while.

"Well, don't let it happen again, you can work off the amount I'm taking from your earnings some other time." Attempting to lighten his words, Gajeel laughed lightly afterwards, but was only met with the sound of the door closing once again. Gajeel knew that Rogue hadn't been the same since last year, and he had always been there to watch over him, specifically hiring him just so he had more time to keep an eye on him. But, work was work, and considering the store didn't have many customers to begin with, having Rogue shout at one like that was hardly acceptable.

_Hopefully, Rogue finds a way to apologise to that boy._

* * *

Considering the late hour, he was surprised to find Yukino still up once he arrived back home, laid out across the couch with her feet pointing upward in the air. Hearing her voice talk as if she was in the middle of a conversation, Rogue quietly began moving toward his room, hoping not to disturb her. However, when she waved over toward him for him to join her, he dropped his stuff down by the door and slowly made his way over, sitting down at the other end of the couch and letting her feet fall on his lap. Looking back at her, she gave him a quick yet heartfelt smile, continuing to nod and hum in agreement with the person on the other end of the line.

"Mhmm, that's fine. Mhmmm. Yep.. Yes… Ok well- Yeah… Alright well I have to go so I'll see you soon bye!" Quickly pressing the end call button, Yukino let out a sigh of relief as she stretched her back over the side of the couch, her toes pointing as she let her body take up the whole of the couch. "You're back later than usual." Sitting back up, her eyes met with Rogue's as she grabbed a nearby pillow and held it to her chest, her chin lying atop it.

"Yeah, Gajeel was busy so I said I'd close up." He wasn't exactly lying about Gajeel being busy that evening, but he had pretty much been forced to stay behind in order to make up the money he lost for shouting at Sting. He didn't regret losing the money per se, but he did regret losing his temper like that, they were meant to be friends, right?

"Ahh, well at least you're safe." Reaching out with her arm, her hand gently patted atop of Rogue's once or twice, her touch warm compared to the cold breeze he had been subjected to on the walk home. "Everything alright?" Leaning forward and tilting her head slightly, she watched him move back slightly, his eyes looking down to the floor.

"I… May or may not have messed up something at work, but it wasn't about work."

"Go onn~" Shuffling forward, Yukino removed her legs from Rogue's lap, sitting up straight as she crossed her legs and used her arms as supports for her head.

"I shouted at a customer, and I know I should care more about losing my job over it, but I think I lost something else." Bringing his hands up towards his face, they slowly trailed over his face, pulling on his skin as his back bowed down towards his knees.

_God, I'm fucking stupid._

A small hum came from Yukino, urging him to continue, and almost reluctantly, he did. "I shouted at Sting. Because I'm an idiot - An idiot who can't make friends, or be normal or cool or smart or helpful or-" He didn't even notice he was crying until the a tear slipped through the gap in his fingers and trailed down his arm. It had been so long, so long since he had cried, had shouted, had talked about how he felt. So why, why now? Why was he now such a mess? After a few seconds, he felt an arm wrap around his body and pull him to the side, a gentle humming sound in his ears as he continued to remember the past year of his life. Eventually, the tears slowed and he sat himself upright, using his sleeve to wipe away the last remnants of his tears from his face.

"You aren't." Removing her hand from his back, Yukino took one of Rogue's hands into her own, squeezing onto it gently to gather his full attention. "You aren't an idiot Rogue, we both know that. And making friends takes time, and if you were that bad, I don't think I'd still be sharing a place with you after 10 months." Laughing lightly, Yukino caught Rogue's eyes with her own, his red pupils now surrounded by reddened skin. "You are helpful and you're cool. And you know what?" Tugging gently at his hand, she waited for him to ask her what she meant, but he only tilted his head to the side slightly, a small noise escaping from his lips.

"Fuck normal. If normal is just getting perfect grades and a good job with money and tons of friends, I don't want to be normal. And, I don't want you to be normal either, I want you to be Rogue." Staring at her silently for a few seconds, he felt her warm smile bore its way into his heart, each word leaving it's intended mark. Attempting to reassure her, he showed a small smile back, the sides of his mouth shaking slightly, eventually dropping back down as he moved to stand up.

"Thanks, Yukino." Turning his head back, his smile reappeared briefly, one she was glad to see. Grabbing his bag, he headed down into the hallway and into his bedroom. Dropping it by his desk, he switched on the small lamp atop his desk, falling back into the seat and staring up at the ceiling. Although it was already 10, he knew he wouldn't, no, couldn't sleep, not until he found the right words to say. He had his own issues to deal with, and he doubted Sting needed to hear about them too. A simple apology wouldn't do, he'd do one better than that.

* * *

"So, can anyone pinpoint the main reasons as to why their relations are forbidden by the country?" After staying up far too long working on his apology, Rogue found himself back in class, staring forward at the board whilst his teacher drabbled on. He didn't exactly mind the subject, or his teacher, but he had far too much on his mind to be focusing on some made up characters.

"Rogue?" Upon hearing his name, his eyes trailed over toward his teacher, his mind racing to remember the question.

"Y-Yes?"

"Can you tell me why their relations are forbidden?"

 _Fuck._ Rogue thought. _I haven't even finished the book, or even been in this class that long, why me?_

"Um, well Siro is the family's entertainer, only around to play his songs and work. And Hanton is the prince of the family, soon to be married off to a nearby princess once his 20th birthday passes." Rogue remembered liking the story of Siro a lot, what with his family being dead, and his heart set on travelling the kingdom sharing his music. But he had fallen in love, and of course in stories, love stops you from being able to be an individual, as it 'Makes your brain go mushy and have irrational thoughts' Or so Rogue thought.

"That is one of two reasons, can anyone else tell me the other one?"

"Because," A voice called out from the back of the room, one Rogue failed to recognize. "Both Siro and Hanton are of the male gender."

"Correct. Whilst some people may be more… Lenient with such relations these days, back then, they were very frowned upon. In the countr-" Just as his teacher began his new sentence, a loud bell rang out throughout the classroom, sending the students scrambling for their things and to the door. "Please! Have your character evaluations ready for Thursday, we shall discuss Siro first." Barely managing to get his message out before everyone left, Rogue's teacher sighed, packing up his things and quickly following suit, leaving Rogue behind alone with a few other students. As he packed his things away, he pulled out a sheet of paper and grasped it firmly between his fingers, slinging his bag over his shoulder and quickly heading out of the door. He didn't exactly know his way around the building too well just yet, they had lessons for period 2, well, thanks to Yukino he knew anyway. Heading toward the other side of the building, he managed to make it up the stairs in record time, ziplining past the mass of students attempting to vacate the building.

Eventually, Rogue was stood outside of the music room, heavy breaths escaping his lips as he tried to regain his breath. Peering his head through the door, his heart dropped in his chest once he realised it was vacant of life. Turning back, he went to open his bag and return his apology, but then he heard a voice.

"Hey." Looking up from his back, Rogue made out a single figure stood at the end of the hallway, spiked blonde hair glistening in the sun. Both of them slowly began to walk forward, until the tips of their shoes were practically touching.

"I have something I need to say." Rogue couldn't hold it back anymore, the guilt building in his stomach ready to implode.

"Me too, and I'm-"

"I want you to play my song."

"I'm... Sorry?"


	6. Chapter 6

Silence fell between them both, as they tried to work out what exactly had just happened.

"Did, did you just apologize to me?" Rogue managed to stammer out, the palms of his hands beginning to sweat as his hands fisted up into balls.

"Maybe. Did you just say I can play your song?"

"…Maybe." As far as apologies go, Rogue felt like this one couldn't be going any worse. He hadn't even said the words yet, and he didn't really get a chance too, once he felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around him into an embrace.

"You. Are AMAZING!" Rogue felt like he was either about to be squeezed to death in Sting's arms, or just go deaf from the loud scream that escaped his lips. "I'm still sorry, about yesterday and all." Pulling his head back, Rogue felt a chill go through his body as Sting's breath passed by his ear as he pulled back from their impromptu hug.

"Don't be, I'm the one that shouted, I actually.. Came here to say sorry to you, but you beat me to it." Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, Rogue managed to stifle a small laugh to ease the air, relieved to hear a similar reaction from Sting. "I guess you'll need this." Stretching out his hand, he watched as Sting eyed the paper carefully, only taking it from Rogue once he gave a small nod of approval.

"This is.."

"The score for the song, I altered some sections so they're better adjusted for guitar, but the effect is the same." Letting his hand fall back into his jean pocket, he watched on in silence as Sting carefully flipped through the pages, silently nodding to himself as his eyes scanned the notes.

"Ahh, thanks! I was having some problems with it before, with the conversion part anyway, but you did it for me.." Looking down to pack the sheets into his bag, he failed to notice Rogues cheeks tint a soft shade of pink as he attempted to hide more of his face under his hair.

"Y-Yeah well, it's not too hard to do, I could convert it so practically any instrument could play it.

"You mean.." Rocking onto his toes, Sting pushed his face up towards Rogue's, a devious look on his face. "Like for the drums?"

"Uhh… Sure?" Taking a small step backward, Rogue was relieved when Sting fell back onto his feet, a small smirk forming on his face as he grabbed his phone from his pocket. Just as he began typing in what seemed to be a message, his phone started to vibrate in his hand, the small tune of a guitar starting to play alongside some vocals.

_I hope you're not in class, or teach will kick your ass, it's your phoneeee~_

Rogue could barely hold back his laughter as he watched Sting scramble to answer the device and hopefully stop the strange song, the others cheeks now turning red.

"Hi, yeah it's me." Turning on his heels slowly, Sting started pacing down the corridor as he continued to speak, leaving Rogue alone and very confused. Sighing, he closed up his bag and looked towards the other end of the hallway, the stairs leading down barely visible past Sting's hair. As he slowly made his way over, he managed to pick up a bit of Sting's conversation. He wasn't exactly trying to listen, but when Sting let out a yelp of what Rogue presumed was glee, he couldn't help but slow down his footsteps, intrigued to find out more.

"That's… Awesome, thank you so much! I'll get right on it!" Rogue could practically feel the happiness bouncing off Sting and warming his heart, a smile forming on his face as he passed by him, awkwardly waving his hand before heading for the stairs. But something stopped him. Thinking his sleeve must've gotten stuck on something, he turned back to untangle himself, only to see Sting's fingers gripping onto his sleeve.

"Are you free anytime tomorrow?" Sting whispered as he removed his phone from his ear. Not wanting to interrupt, Rogue simply nodded back and watched Sting frantically hang up his phone. After a while of tapping and swiping at his screen, Sting eventually pointed the screen towards Rogue, the screen showing a phone number for Sting.

"For me?" Delving around in his pocket for his phone, he eventually found the device and typed in the number shown on Sting's screen, worrying for a moment that saving his contact as just "Sting" was too casual. "I'll uhh… Text you I guess?" At first, his smile almost felt forced as he put his phone back into his pocket, but once Sting smiled back, Rogue felt the ends of his mouth raise higher on their own, his body relaxing as he stared into pools of blue. Turning around, he started walking down the stairs and pushed his way through the small crowds of friends littering the stairs, talking among themselves, until they all heard a yell.

"SHIT!" Turning his head back, Rogue instantly recognized Sting's voice, and started heading back up the stairway again, only to stop once he heard Sting's voice again.

"I HUNG UP ON NATSU GOD DAMMIT."

* * *

Kicking off her shoes at the door, Minerva made her way over toward the kitchen to unpack her shopping, expecting to find the area vacant of life. But no, there was Sting, feet swinging off of one of the stools, seemingly giggling to himself. Now, having Sting wait around in the kitchen for food wasn't exactly unusual, especially since he had labelled himself 'Chief Taste Tester', claiming that it was important Minerva's food was tested before she served it. (Although, she was pretty sure a taste test didn't actually involve eating a whole plate or more of the meal.) But he usually only showed his face once the smell of whatever she was making lured him out from his room.

Dumping her bags atop the table, she watched him from the corner of her eyes, a small smile on his face as she realised he was staring down at his phone screen. Unpacking her things, she heard footsteps in the hallway, eventually stopping as Rufus came into sight, simply watching Minerva and Sting from the fridge, a small smirk on his face as he watched Sting grin at his phone. Once done packing away all the unneeded shopping, Minerva quietly slid her way over to Rufus, standing beside him and leaning her head toward his ear.

"What's up with him?" Whispering, she felt Rufus' arm gently tug on hers, pulling her out of sight and ear shot of Sting.

"I'm not sure, I don't recall him being this happy in a while." Leaning his head to the side, Rufus glanced over at Sting, the ends of his mouth looking as if they would simply stretch off his face anytime soon, laughter escaping his lips as he tapped away at his phone.

"I don't like it." Minerva whispered as she decided enough was enough, and headed back into the kitchen.

"Liar." Rufus whispered to himself as he followed her lead, both of them propping themselves up on the table as they stared at Sting, who eventually caught on once he lifted his head.

"Hey!" Was the only word that escaped his lips as he eyed them suspiciously.

"So, would you like to tell us about your day?" Rufus questioned, a small smirk on his face as he felt Minerva's shoulder hit into his arm.

"Oh well, um, some guy in chemistry almost froze over the lab, it was pretty funny until we almost got frozen in the room!" Tapping his finger against his puffed out cheek, his eyes stared up at the sky as he continued to think. "Oh! And Natsu set me up with a concert spot on Saturday night, so that'll be fun."

"Certainly sounds like it, much else happen?" Rufus asked inquisitively, able to tell that Minerva was becoming inpatient.

"Ummm, not really, why?" Moving his gaze between them, Sting watched them suspiciously stare at each other, before Rufus backed off. Minerva was about to speak, when Sting's voice cut in again. "Oh,you guys are out tomorrow right?"

"…Depends." Minerva finally spoke, folding her hands across her chest as she stood side on. "You're not planning on having another party like last time are you?"

"N-No! Of course not." Memories of the scolding he received from Minerva when she arrived home early when he last threw a party flew through his mind, sending a chill down his spine. It'd be a hot January before he held another party like that. "I'm just having someone around, we have plans and I'd rather you weren't here.."

"Oh, so you're bring over a fuc-" Minerva's words were cut off once Rufus pulled on her arm, pushing her out of the kitchen and slowly walking behind her.

"Excuse us for a while, but remember to stay safe and use protection!" Rufus' voice became quieter once they turned the corner, the sound of their voices stopping after the closing of the door was heard.

"Stay… Safe?" Sting seemed to ask nobody as he wondered what Rufus meant. "Oh! He means use gloves on my strings, so I don't get hurt. Wow, what a thoughtful guy!"

* * *

Waiting outside the door, his eyes glanced around the hallway, only one small window lighting the area. He had knocked once with no reply, and worried about knocking again, especially if he had the wrong place. Checking his phone again, he made sure he had the right address, practically triple checking the apartment number before raising his fist again and going to knock again. After hitting it twice, he heard a loud shout followed by a crash come from inside the door, making him take a step back once he faintly made out the word "Coming!" Being shouted.

After a few more shouts and a strange period of silence, the door flew open, a disheveled Sting standing on the other side, clad in a large shirt and boxers, his hair somehow more of a mess than it usually was.

"Hey!" Despite looking like he'd just got out of bed, he was still somehow full of energy, positively beaming as he held the door open.

"Hey…" Rogue couldn't help but let his eyes trail down, reminding Sting about his clothing situation, and how there was a lack of it. Jumping behind the door, he ushered Rogue inside with his hand before running off, slamming his bedroom door behind him, leaving Rogue alone in the apartment. Looking around, he could tell the place wasn't just Sting's, things strung around the place that looked far from his style. On his left, a rather tall bookshelf was leaned against the wall, stuck between two very large plants and vines. Tentatively walking over toward the bookshelf, Rogue let his fingers hover by the books, sliding his finger to the side as he read the names written on the back of the spines. Most looked like simple books, ones you could buy on shelves or get from a library. But some, looked like they had been handwritten, gold calligraphy decorating their red spines.

"Don't!" Sting's voice startled Rogue, his hand closing shut as he pulled it back from the shelf. "Rufus is kinda particular about who touches his books, since most of them are pretty old." Turning round, Rogue was happy to find Sting fully dressed, his hair looking like it had at least had some fingers run through it.

"And are you one of those people?"

"Nah, after the incident of Egg Friday, he forbade me from touching them, but I'm hoping he'll change his mind soon." Moving to stand by Rogue, he let his eyes scan over the shelves, a yawn escaping his lips as he moved onto his tip toes.

"You like to read?"

"Sorta, although I'm not good at analyzing or anything, but the one I really wanna read," Sting's finger stretched out toward the top shelf, toward a small blue book, squished in between several larger ones. "Is that one."

"What's it about?" Following Sting's finger, Rogue eventually found what he presumed to be the fated book. Judging by the size, it probably wasn't a novel, nor something like an adventure book. Maybe it was someth-

"It's a secret book. Rufus basically has notes on us and keeps them in there for blackmail."

Oh.

"Then… Why is it up there for just anyone to read?"

"That one is from last year, he's already almost finished with this years." Sting said with a strange tone of enthusiasm.

"Sounds… Interesting?" Rogue had never really been a gossip, nor one to pry into someone else's business, not unless he thought they were at risk. He didn't mind if people gossiped about trivial things like texts or clothes. But when it got personal, he didn't want anything to do with it.

"So," Sting grabbed onto Rogue's arm and began pulling him down the hallway. "Ready to hear the best song ever?"

"It's my song?" Rogue managed to catch himself before he almost tripped over his own feet, Sting seemingly in some sort of hurry. Once they made it to the door, Sting turned back toward Rogue and smiled.

"Exactly." Opening the door, Rogue was met with a strange smell he couldn't exactly label, nor decide if he liked or not. Following Sting's lead, he stepped inside the room and surveyed the area.

Firstly, it was a lot cleaner than Rogue initially thought it would be, only a few scarce items of clothing surrounding the laundry basket in the corner of the room.

Secondly, the walls were a simple white colour, a few black notes painted on them

And the strangest thing of them all, was the plastic stars stuck to his ceiling. Not just above the bed, nor in the corner of the room. Just… Everywhere.

"Here!" Grabbing something from atop the chair, Sting casually chucked it to the side in order to make room for Rogue. Slowly sitting down, he dropped his bag down by his feet and watched Sting fall back onto the unmade bed. Both of them sat in silence for a few seconds, simply staring at each other as they waited for something to happen. Shifting his gaze towards the end of the bed, Rogue noticed a familiar guitar leaning against the frame, alongside a few sheets of paper and gloves. Looking back over at Sting, he gently nodded his head over in the guitars direction, hoping Sting would get the hint.

"Oh!" Looking to his side, Sting finally picked up his stuff and balanced the guitar over his leg. "Sorry sorry, my short term memory isn't the greatest, but I always remember important stuff!" Smiling, Rogue simply chuckled back as he watched Sting set himself up, crossing his legs and using his thigh for support. Silence enveloped the room again, Sting's eyes shut tight as his fingers gently placed themselves on the strings. Rogue was worried and almost spoke, but he was cut off by the sound of a soft chord, followed by a voice.

_Hey, are you there?_

_Do my words still reach you like before?_

Rogue felt strange, listening Sting sing like this. He had learned about his band, and the sort of music they usually played. But this? It was like walking on air, his voice soft and warming as he sang, the guitar matching perfectly with his voice.

_I'm sorry, I didn't say,_

_All the things I'm sure you wanted to hear._

_I thought, we'd have more time,_

_More time to laugh and cry and do all of those stupid things you liked_

_But now you're gone, I feel alone,_

_Because to me your smile always felt like home._

Rogue simply sat and watched, with so much to say, yet he was left speechless. This was his- their song. And it sounded so beautiful.

_I miss your laugh, I miss your hugs,_

_I miss you calling all dogs pugs._

_I'm sorry that I wasn't there_

_I'm sorry sometimes I acted like I didn't care._

_But my heart was always there,_

_my shoulder too_

_Do I still care?_

_Of course I do…_

Sting's vocals faded out as he continued to play the guitar, eventually letting the strings vibrate one last time, leaving the room in silence. Opening his eyes, Sting stared at Rogue for a second, before moving his hands to cover his face, his hands moving towards his hair and rustling it.

"I'm sorry that it's not complete yet," Sting started to speak, his eyes slightly red once he removed his hands out of the way. "The lyrics sound pretty stupid and I should've just sent you an audio clip instead of dragging you here on your day off." Looking back toward Sting, he almost resembled a statue, his mouth slightly open, eyes not blinking at all.

"Thank you." Rogue eventually spoke, his voice slightly broken and low. "It was beautiful."

"Really?" Moving his guitar to the side, Sting pushed his legs over the side of the bed, leaning towards Rogue as he stared deep into the eyes. "I thought the subject of the lyrics might've been too strange, but it means a lot knowing you liked them."

"I could tell you put yourself into them, your emotion." Mimicking Sting's body language, Rogue leaned forward in his seat, his hands clasped together between his legs. "Do you mind.. Me asking who it was about?" Once the question left his mouth, Rogue wanted to take it back. He had no right to know, no right to even ask. He was invading Sting's personal space and-

"My… My dad." Rogue lifted his head, eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and sadness as he watched Sting speak. "Last year, he passed away in his sleep. We didn't think anything was wrong with him, and apparently there wasn't. I don't know. He just… Didn't wake up I guess." A small chuckle escaped his lips as his head tilted down, his eyes staring off into space as he tried not to recall the memory.

He had been promised a trip to the park so he could show his dad his training, and simply thought his dad was being lazy and wanted a lie in. He thought maybe he'd had one too many to drink. But when he went inside the room, staring at his pale face, he knew something wasn't right.

"I'm…" Rogue wanted to say something, anything. But, it didn't feel right. Now wasn't the time to bring up himself, or his own twisted unfortunate past. He could never say something like that so freely to someone he'd only known a few days.

So why did Sting feel confident in confiding in him?

"Sorry," Wiping his arm against his face, Sting lifted his head back up, his cheeks slightly puffed and red. "I didn't mean to just drop that on you, I guess it's been awhile since I've really spoken about it like that."

Rogue wanted to stay, wanted to be some sort of help. But he knew he couldn't. If he couldn't even help himself, how could he help someone else. Quietly picking up the strap of his bag, he carefully rose to his feet, and placed his hand on Sting's shoulder, his bare skin surprisingly warm to the touch.

"Don't be. We all have stuff going on, and it's good to talk about it sometimes." He subconsciously squeezed his fingers into Sting's skin gently, reassuring him that he truly meant what he said.

"Thanks, I guess I scared you off huh." Lifting his head, Sting looked at Rogue's bag, giving Rogue a gentle smile before he could say anything.

"Not forever, I still have to hear the end of that song one day." He managed a small laugh, and felt relieved when Sting joined in. Rogue definitely prefered the light hearted Sting he knew.

"Like, on Saturday, at a concert?"


	7. Chapter 7

For a few seconds, Sting simply waited for any sign of an answer from Rogue. The other's eyes were on him, but his focus seemed somewhere else. Before he got the chance to speak about it, Rogue's lips parted slightly as he went to speak.

"Would I have to pay?" Loosening his grip on his bag slightly, it dropped lower against his side, hitting into his leg as he watched Sting from the door.

"Yeah, it's gonna cost you permission to perform your song." Sting moved to stand up, the sadness gone from his eyes as he smirked at Rogue, leaning against his desk, using his arm to prop himself up.

"Not actual money?"

"Nah, I get free tickets when I perform, and one of them has your name on if you want it? Wiggling his eyebrows, Sting watched Rogue's smile appear again, telling him one of his tickets was now going to be used.

"Sure, only if I can bring someone along, we're meant to hang out on Saturday."

Slowly, Sting stood upright and moved his way over to Rogue, leaning over and staring at him, a devilish grin plastered on his face. Lifting his hand, he extended out his index finger and brought it under Rogue's chin, dragging it upward and tilting Rogue's head upward. "And who might this _someone_ be~"

Staring down, Rogue didn't move, he just simply stared at Sting, wondering what the actual hell was going through his mind. Raising his free hand, he gently grabbed Sting's hand from under his chin and brought it back down to his side. "My roommate, I'm sure she'll get on well with you, since you're both goofballs." Laughing slightly, he realised he was still holding onto Sting's hand. letting it go, he watched Sting raise it again, crossing his arms across his chest and standing back up straight.

"She'll? I knew a pretty boy like you would have a lady!"

"A lady roommate, nothing else. And I'm not a pretty boy, just Rogue."

"Oh come come," Moving forward, Sting sidestepped behind Rogue and brought his arm over his shoulders, opening his door and guiding him out in front of the hallway mirror. "I hear girls these days simply love this Vampire look you got going on, like Twilight and stuff!" Shoving Sting's arms off his shoulder, Rogue joined in with the laughter, knowing that Sting only meant it as a joke. Eventually, the laughter died down, and they were left awkwardly standing in the hallway.

"Well, I guess I better go, don't wanna intrude any longer." Rubbing the back of his neck, Rogue knew he didn't really have any plans for the day aside from studying, but with everything he'd learnt about Sting today, he felt like he needed some time to think about his own life, and his own father.

"You're not intruding, honestly! But if you have plans, that's fine." Sting's smile fell at the corners slightly, clearly sad he didn't get to spend more time with his new friend.

"Yeah.. I have a lot of studying to do, and cleaning, living the high life aren't I." Turning on his heels, he began heading toward the door, Sting following in toe.

"Wow, what a _wild_ lifestyle you live." Once they reached the door, Sting made an extravagant pose, sarcasm written over his face. Rogue let out a small chuckle, before reaching for the door handle, the coldness of the metal a sharp contrast to the warm feeling of Sting's hand before.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around campus, and on Saturday then." Smiling, Rogue pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway, turning back just to watch Sting shut the door without saying a word, a worried and fearful look plastered over his face. Before Rogue got time to knock on the door again, a small cough came from the end of the hallway, grabbing Rogue's attention. Practically hidden in the shadows, was what appeared to be a tall woman, with long hair and a large set of bags. Walking forward, the sound of her heels hitting the floor echoed through the hallway, her face eventually coming into Rogue's view.

"Hello." Her voice was strange. It had no real emotion to it, yet it wasn't harsh or sarcastic.

"Hi." Compared to when he was inside, Rogue felt almost on edge, as if something bad were to happen to him.

"So, you're Sting's… _Friend_.." Minerva looked him up and down, taking in his slim yet semi muscular build. Not what she'd expect from Sting, with him being male and all: But she had to admit Sting had good eyes.

"I… I guess?" Feigning a smile, Rogue awkwardly side continued to stare at her, trying to deduce what she was planning, and whether he should be in fear of his life or not. He knew it was pretty bad to judge people simply based on first appearances, but she had this… Commanding aura about her, like a figure of authority and power.

"Well, it was very kind of you both to arrange your meeting whilst I was out." Moving forward, she placed her key inside the door with her free hand, turning it and opening the door slightly. "Next time though, feel free to stay for dessert." With a devilish smirk plastered, she walked in through the door, shutting it behind her and leaving Rogue confused and alone. Slowly walking down the hallway towards the stairs, Rogue thought about all the things that had happened in the short space of a few hours.

He had heard his song being played by someone else.

He felt his heart ache as he watched Sting cry.

He met what he believed to be Sting's roommate, and.

He had made a friend.

* * *

Walking over toward the kitchen, Minerva counted the seconds before Sting finally showed his strangely reddened face. It was 7. Dropping her bags, she simply stared at him from the counter as he slowly walked into the kitchen, his attempt at being casual failing miserably.

"Hello to you too, Sting." Unpacking tubs of unused ingredients and food, she heard him slide onto one of the stools, what sounded like a wince of pain coming from his lips.

"I didn't think you'd uh, be home so soon." Folding his arms on the table, he used them for support as he leaned his chin atop of them.

"Yajima didn't turn up, so I came home since it was all I had today." Packing away the ingredients, she slid one of the packed meals across the counter and towards Sting. At first, he simply pouted, averting his eyes as if her were a child. After a few seconds, his eyes slowly made their way back over to the container, and he lazily started to unbox it. Sitting up, he placed a cherry tomato in his mouth and watched Minerva, trying not to let on that he was grateful for the food.

"I see." Picking at the meal with his fingers, he heard her take a seat at the other side of the table, unpacking her own box and beginning to eat.

"So," Stabbing her fork into a cut of pork, Minerva waited for Sting's attention before she continued. "What's his name?"

"You've never been interested in any of my friends before.." Pulling his fingers out of the box, Sting crossed his arms across his chest and leaned forward, a small humming noise escaping his lips as he looked Minerva up and down.

"They've never been that good looking before, you scored there."

"Scored? I don't care about his looks really." Thinking about what Minerva said, he did know Rogue was an attractive man, his sort of rough yet caring style soon to more than likely be the talk of the college. But for Sting, that's not why he wanted to be close to Rogue. It was his music. The way his fingers so gracefully moved from key to key, the way the music came to life when he played. It was mesmerizing.

"Well, that's usually the first thing people look for in a fuck buddy isn't it?"

_Come again?_

Sting was fairly certain he'd misheard her, because no way in hell did she just say what he thought she said. Barely able to close his mouth, it opened again only seconds later.

"A… What?"

"Yanno, when two people or friends get togeth-"

"Yeah yeah I know what it means, but you thought Rogue and I were…"

"Wait." Dropping her fork down into her food, MInerva's usual cool demeanor vanished as she mimicked Sting's confused look. "You guys _aren't_ fucking?"

Instead of speaking, Sting simply shook his head side to side slightly, unable to form any sort of words. Half of his brain was having a mini melt down. If Rogue ever found out that Minerva thought they were having sexual relations, Rogue would probably never talk to him again. But, the other half of his brain had other plans.

"O..m..g" Sting barely managed to speak between roars of laughter, his belly hurting as he continued to have giggling fits. "Me… And him?" Sting couldn't even imagine it the idea was so… Crazy. Sting wasn't bad looking, nor was he dumb, but compared to Rogue? Hell he was lucky to even have his damn phone number.

"Oh come on." Picking up her fork, she loosely held it between her fingers, rolling her eyes as she waited for him to calm down. "It's not like you've never had a huge crush on a guy before. God, I'm pretty sure you still have one of those Natsu posters lying around in storage."

"HEY." His laughter now gone, he stood up on his feet and slammed his hands down on the table. "Those were for, for reference!" Minerva simply watched Sting try to defend himself, his words becoming a jumble of sounds as she just nodded her head along, her eyes staring at his reddened cheeks. "Besides, I've only known him for less than a week, I'd need more time."

"Oh?" That got her attention. "So it's a possibility?" Her usual smirk returned to her face, her upper body leaning toward Sting.

"It's not a yes, and it's not a no. But right now, I barely even know the guy." Standing up, his words really hit him. Sting had opened up to Rogue about his father's passing, and even let him inside not only his apartment, but his room. He couldn't remember the last time he had someone inside his room that wasn't Orga when they practiced, or either Rufus or Minerva moaning about the mess of his room. Thinking about it, he barely knew anything about Rogue, something he decided was going to change.

* * *

"Oh, you're home?" Shutting the door behind him, Rogue kicked off his shoes and walked toward the kitchen, the sound of something crashing against the floor drawing his attention. Once the kitchen was in view, he saw the source of the noise was actually a pot on the floor, surrounded by sauce. Kneeling on the floor, was a very worried and tired looking Yukino, blotches of red seemingly all over her, somehow even in her hair.

"Yeah, my classes were finished so I thought I'd try to make something new for lunch and…" Her eyes trailed down to the mess on the floor, dry spaghetti mixed up in sauce and other unidentifiable ingredients. "Maybe I should just stick to the basics for now." Adding faint laughter to the end of her sentence made the strange aura in the air fade, even more so once Rogue bent down to help Yukino clean up. Wiping against the floor, she stopped for a moment, remembering where Rogue had been. "So, how was it?"

"You mean Sting's? Yeah, it was alright I guess." Standing up to rinse out his cloth, he offered his hand to Yukino, politely helping her to her feet.

"That's it? Just alright?"

"Well, I liked the song, I didn't really think I would, but his words added a new lease of life to it." Staring off into space, Rogue tried to recall the lyrics to the song, realising just how much Sting's father must have meant to him, with him writing such emotional lyrics.

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd like it either, since Sting's music is a little… On the loud side."

"Ah." Dropping the cloth back into the sink, he began drying off his hands, leaning back against the counter as he spoke. "I thought what he played seemed a little different to what I'd heard about his stuff, but I guess I'll get to hear his proper stuff on Saturday."

"Saturday?" Following in toe, Yukino placed her towel back in the sink, before nudging Rogue in the side. "What's this about then~"

"I- No, _we_ , are going to a concert."


End file.
